


Until The Moon Falls

by Skadiyoko



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Majora's Mask, Violence, and other creepy things that come with this AU, zelda au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-01-21 01:30:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12446528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skadiyoko/pseuds/Skadiyoko
Summary: Daichi was searching for an old friend, when he was suddenly attacked and cursed. Now, with the help of some new friends, he must find a way to take back an evil mask from an unfortunate imp, before the moon crashes to the earth.Swamp. Mountain. Ocean. Canyon. The four that are there, bring them here.He only has three days to do it.





	1. Cursed

Lost. Daichi was lost. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was lost in what he thinks is still the Lost Woods. Embarrassing, considering his upbringing with the Kokiri, and how he knew these woods like the back of his hand. At least.. he knew the woods closest to his village. Of course the forest ventured beyond the Sacred Meadow, but he did not expect the absolute _vastness_ they extended to. After a few days he, ironically enough, couldn’t tell what time it was anymore. The forest was just too dense, not a single ray of sunlight shining through the canopy of it’s trees. Not that Daichi could even see the tops of the trees to begin with. They were just so unbelievably _tall_. A constant fog wafted around, impairing his vision and coating him in a dampness he couldn’t rub off. The air was humid. Thick moss and soft bark flavored it with a dense, earthy musk. Neither he nor Karasu have been breathing well lately because of it, and neither of them want to be there anymore. Daichi ran a hand down her wet, obsidian neck in an absent gesture of comfort. If he thought they stood any chance turning around and going back the way they came, he would have about-faced days (days?) ago. Unfortunately, these weren’t ordinary woods that one could use logic in.

When he left Hyrule, Daichi decided to only bring the necessities. A heavy cloak for colder weather, plenty of dried fruit, a few canteens of water, about 200 rupees, a couple of potions, his sword and shield, and of course, Karasu. He had tried to give the Ocarina of Time back to the princess, but she refused it at every insistence. Said now that the land was free from darkness (the words “For now” echoed forebodingly in the back of their heads), he would need it more than she. A part of Daichi feels like he should have fought harder to leave it with the Royal Family, maybe ask the king to take it, but Zelda was just too stubborn. It was hard to argue against the intuition of someone whose prophecies were so scarily accurate.

That was a few years ago, back when he and Zelda saved Hyrule from the evil Ganondorf. Back when he had to journey across an entire kingdom, in two different periods of time, fighting monsters and trudging through infected temples to gain the power to put an end to the man. Afterwords he took some time to recover. He was exhausted, scarred both physically and mentally, and returned to his forest home to recuperate until they (Mido) kicked him out when he turned thirteen. The next year was spent roaming around Hyrule, meeting old friends, and picking up odd jobs from people to earn some rupees and busy his mind. Some might say four years was a bit of a dramatic recovery period, but Daichi was just a child when he was chosen to put his life on the line, and save an entire kingdom. He was barely ten, forced to grow up – literally and figuratively – too fast for someone his age. Zelda, too. Not that fourteen is exactly “grown up”, but sometimes he feels as though his sudden adventure lasted for years and years.

Technically it did, and Daichi prays he never has to deal with time travel ever again.

Just as he was lost in these woods, Daichi was lost in thought and did not notice two small lights zooming towards him until it was too late. They were fairies, his subconscious relayed in the few seconds before Karasu reared back on her hind legs, spooked. Everything happened so suddenly. There was no time to react to being flung off his horse, and in the split second as he fell, he swore his lungs somehow caught in his throat. Pain shot through his head, his skull cracking hard against the forest floor, and everything went dark.

Daichi couldn’t move. He didn’t know if he was knocked out or not, but he thought he heard distant voices. Multiple and high pitched. Clicking. It scared him more than he thought it should, but he wasn’t exactly all there right now. Something touches him, a rough texture, and there’s a sudden nauseousness stirring in his stomach. Whoever was groping his person, Daichi hopes he throws up on them as he finally slips into unconsciousness.

…

Sound. It was distorted and seemed far away, but it was still there. Slowly, as Daichi fought to wake up, it became clearer and closer. Arguing, he thought, but more importantly, music. Sharp notes and giggling. His situation slammed into him harder than he slammed his head on the ground, and suddenly Daichi was very, very awake. Every note made his heart stop, and he mentally screamed at himself to open his damn eyes already! When he did, everything was blurry, but a small trickle of relief soothed him when he was able to blink the world into clarity. Peeking at the group in front of him revealed the two fairies from earlier, one orange and the other blue. There was also a Skull Kid, it’s large straw hat and tattered clothes a dead giveaway. A group of troublemakers if he ever saw one, and anger bubbled in his gut now that he was conscious enough to actually feel that emotion. Zelda’s ocarina had been stolen and played with like it was some sort of toy, and Daichi would be damned if he just let himself sit back and let it happen, no matter how badly his head hurt. He had been hurt worse in the past, after all.

Taking a steady breath, Daichi stood up on wobbly legs. Chimes echoed in the air, the fairies bouncing in front of the Skull Kid. That’s fine, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to sneak up on them anyway. The alarms did startle the Skull Kid, though. It jumped in surprise, and slowly turned around to face Daichi. Instead of the tree bark face and orange eyes he was expecting, the kid was wearing a creepy mask. Goosebumps scattered over his skin, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. The mask was heart shaped, primarily purple with red lining around the eyes and mouth, and golden spikes protruding from its top and sides. The eyes were yellow as well, fading to orange with green irises. Unblinking. How the kid could see through it was a mystery, as it didn’t have any holes to look through. Something feral rose inside Daichi as he examined it, telling him firmly to Stay Away.

“Give that back,” he said evenly, squaring his shoulders. Skull Kids were mischievous little punks, but were usually more amicable towards children than adults. Fourteen isn’t exactly a child, but it’s ways away from adulthood.

“No,” it said, voice pitched high, but also quivering with some sort of unnatural undertone.

“If you give it back, I can play it for you.”

“No. I will not.”

Not good. This area was unfamiliar, and the kid surely knew its way around far better than Daichi. That ocarina was precious, sacred even, and he needed to get it back at all costs. Two seconds passed as he tensed, and then Daichi sprang. Of course the Skull Kid was expecting it, and easily dodged. On top of that, the damn thing hopped onto Karasu just as fluidly as its dodge. “Bastard!” Daichi exclaimed, instinct taking over as he lunged for his horse, managing to grab onto her saddle strap.

Pain shot through his legs as he was drug along the ground. Scratches and bruises formed at an alarming rate from the repeated beating his whole body was taking from his horse’s gallop. The kid jerked its leg about, and one good kick hit Daichi’s shoulder, forcing his grip to falter. Karasu’s hoof then blasted him in the stomach, completely throwing him off with the sharpest burst of pain yet. Dust and pebbles stung at Daichi’s face as Karasu continued to run away. Clutching the dirt, he pounded his fist to the ground and grit his teeth together painfully. “FUCK!”

Adrenaline pumped through his system with his small (justified!) tantrum. Using it, Daichi ignored the pain pulsing through his body. Ignored the blood oozing from the multiple cuts scattered across his skin, and pushed himself back up on his feet. Boots pounded across the wet ground, his whole weight going into every heavy step. They weren’t going to get away. He wouldn’t allow it, simple as that. Sweat soaked his tunic, turning more noticeable patches an even darker shade of black. Breathing was even harder than before, and his lungs felt like they were filling up with water and fire at the same time. There might have been tears, he couldn’t tell. He didn’t care. Up ahead was an enormous hollowed out tree laying on its side. It looked like a tunnel, and Daichi ran in without a second thought. His focus was on one thing, and one thing only.

Which was stupid.

Because suddenly he was falling.

And falling.

And falling some more.

Colors flashed all around him as he fell. Colors turning into shapes and constructs and visions of people and ideas. Daichi wasn’t psychic, but he was positive everything he was seeing-not-seeing was a prophecy of sorts. Prophecy of the future, his mind whispered, and he would have been more annoyed of more future nonsense if the circumstances were different. And if it was his future the hole was prophesying. It couldn’t be though. Once he hit the bottom of this pit, his bones were going to pierce through his skin, and his organs were going to shoot out and splatter against the ground. It has been minutes now he thinks, head still filled with clocks and magic. There was no way Daichi was surviving this. He felt cold.

He hopes the Skull Kid takes care of Karasu.

The bottom is getting closer, finally visible. Daichi thinks he wants to throw up, pass out, or both. He hopes it’s instant. Prays the goddesses aren’t too disappointed in him. Hyrule should be safe for at least another hundred years. His job as the chosen hero has been accomplished, so he guesses the world will be fine without him now. In these final few seconds of life, he is content with that.

Water surrounded him, filling his mouth and nose. The disbelief that he was alive shocked him more than the freezing pool, and it took him a few moments to realize he couldn’t breathe. The surface seemed miles away, but Daichi forced his aching limbs to keep moving no matter what. When he finally breached the surface, he took a bigger breath than he’s ever taken in his life. So big, in fact, the air was reverberating in his esophagus, causing him to start coughing uncontrollably. It sounded painful and wet. Not far away was the shore, and he fought through his coughing fit to splash his way over. More water ran in his nostrils and down his throat, but he refused to stop. Pulling himself to shore, Daichi slumped on his side, gasping and hurting all over.

A familiar laugh rang through the cavern he had ended up in. Quickly, he stood up, turning around and showing his teeth. Across the pond he had fallen in was the Skull Kid. It was floating above the ground somehow, a fairy on either side of its head. They seemed nervous. Something twisted in his gut. A warning.

“Your horse is stupid,” the creature said. “No matter what I told it to do, it wouldn’t listen. Must be as stupid as its owner.” Daichi growled as the Skull Kid cackled again. “There’s no need to keep an animal that won’t listen to it’s superiors, so I did you a favor and got rid of it.”

“You what?” Daichi breathed, air knocked completely out of his chest and pain prickling at his heart.

“You should be _thanking_ me, not making that kind of face at me.” Daichi didn’t know what kind of face he was making. His mind, though, was going a hundred miles a minute. There was something about the kid’s voice. Something dark. Something that went against nature. Something evil. Everything inside of Daichi was screaming at him to put a stop to this now. There was another part telling him to run, and never look back. That part was quieter, but he thinks that’s only because there is nowhere _to_ run in this cave.

“Oh? What’s with that expression? You think you can beat me?! Hah! Hahaha!” An aura of overwhelming dark magic began spilling from the other, its mask shaking and twitching in movements that made Daichi’s skin crawl. Skull Kids could never possess such magic, much less wield it, and before Daichi could do anything, it hit him. A pain outranking anything he’s ever felt before overtook his body. He couldn’t even scream. It felt like his insides were on fire, and his skin was being pulled from his body. His vision swirled, and spotted, and dimmed. Daichi thought he might actually vomit this time. Rustling leaves echoed through his pounding skull, and puttering footsteps surrounded him. Deku Scrubs, his mind provided. Lots of them. They were the ones peeling his skin and rearranging his insides. Though he so desperately wanted to cut them down with his sword, he couldn’t move to kill them. Couldn’t do anything but let them rip him apart.

And as suddenly as the agony started, it stopped.

Saying he felt odd was an understatement. All of his previous pain was gone, the full-body ache faintly pulsing as only a residual memory. As unsettling as that was, it helped clear his head a little. For one, Daichi doesn’t think he’s as tall as he was before. Nor as heavy. Freaked out, he tried to take a calming breath, but it didn’t work right. His chest wasn’t expanding at all. He also couldn’t feel the roof of his mouth or his teeth with his tongue. Probably because, disturbingly enough, he doesn’t _have_ a tongue anymore. Or teeth. Raising his hands, Daichi feels he must have hit his head harder than he thought, because they were made of wood.

Daichi’s breath quickened, which was uncomfortable without a flexible body. Attempting to move his fingers was met with success. Legs as well. Feeling the top of his head, he discovered he didn’t have hair anymore, but a bunch of small leaves growing from his scalp in its place. Strangely enough, he only donned his tunic, gloves, and boots. Why his undershirt and tights did not follow him to this form was a mystery, but not one he really cared about. More important matters stood in front of him.

Laughter filled the cavern once more, and Daichi’s head whipped up to glare at the horrible Skull Kid that did this to him. “I think you look much better like that,” it called, “you should thank me!” Behind its mask, Daichi knew there was an ugly smile plastered on its beak. His sword and shield were no longer on his person, but right now Daichi didn’t care. He was going to go over there and beat the counter spell out of it with his newly wooden fists. Nothing mattered more to him right now.

Attempting to growl, Daichi embarrassingly realized that he apparently didn’t have the proper equipment for that anymore either. All that came out was a broken squeak, somewhat like a rodent. Skull Kid laughed even louder at that, practically screeching, and Daichi couldn’t take listening to it anymore. It turned around, and he took that as his chance to charge. Just as he was about use some Deku Flowers to jump across the pond, a blue light zoomed over and smacked him in the face. Daichi fell sideways in the water, but no matter how hard he kicked, he was being pulled farther and farther under. Water was filling his mouth (he thinks it’s his mouth?), that he was unable to close. It scared him. Luckily his flailing hand caught a grip on the leaf of a flower, and he used it to heave himself back onto land.

Blowing water from his mouth, Daichi gasped while reeling around to find the Skull Kid, but it was gone. The lack of unnerving giggles made his ears ring, and he tried to growl in frustration while stomping angrily on the ground. He only let out another mortifying squeak, and a sense of childish shame descended upon him from throwing another tantrum. Sighing, he fell to the ground and decided the best course of action would be to calm down, and find a way out of this place. Before he could do that, though, the blue light was in his face again. With a clearer head, he noticed it was more specifically a shade of turquoise. Up close he could make out the fairy inside the pretty light. Male, with a head of soft, loose curls, and round eyes to match. His limbs were long, and his nose was slightly upturned. This was one of the Kid’s fairies, boring into him with an unreadable expression. Daichi’s guard was up at once.

“You’re welcome,” he drawled, pursing his lips before looking down at Daichi. Daichi, for his part, only contemplated hitting him. This fairy let his only chance at being human again slip away, and expects gratitude? Instead Daichi grips the ground, squishing mud and grass between his fingers.

“You think I should thank you?” he seethed, internally wincing at how high pitched and non threatening his voice was. At least he can still talk. Which is a plus, no matter how small. The fairy wasn’t laughing at him either.

“Yes,” he frowned, then sighed, sounding as tired as Daichi felt. “Listen, buddy, you’re lucky they weren’t looking when you started running at them. If I didn’t stop you, you’d be dead right now.”

“I know how to fight.”

“I don’t doubt that! But it doesn’t matter how skilled you are at fighting.” He crossed his arms. Now, Daichi grew up with fairies. They were free spirited, smart, loyal, and a little mischievous. He knew well enough when they were messing around, and this fairy was being gravely sincere. It was slightly annoying. “As you are now, they would have killed you. Easily, and with pleasure.”

“It’s not exactly _my_ fault I’m in this body!”

“You would have died in your human body as well.”

Daichi huffed. “Yeah, your its friend, of course you’re going to say that.”

“You have absolutely _no_ idea what you’re talking about!” exploded the fairy. Daichi took a moment to be shocked at the outburst while the fairy took that moment to collect himself. “Listen, kid, I really did not want them to do that to you. Suga and I were trying to get them to leave you alone, but they wouldn’t listen! They haven’t listened to us since...” he trailed off, gritting his teeth. It was actually quite unnerving, seeing a fairy so enraged. “Since they got their hands on that stupid mask!” he spat, getting more and more agitated by the second. Wings fluttering him around in sharp zigzags while he flailed his arms. “They were _nice_! And honestly a little pitiful, and something about that drew us to them! But they’re also kind of a shit, and decided to pull a prank on that guy, and stole that damn mask! They completely changed since then, and Suga and I don’t have any way to stop them!”

The fairy was panting, but it seemed most of his rage had cooled. That must have been pent inside of him for a long time. His wings slowed, but he still hovered in front of Daichi, still looking at him with an intense gaze. “Why...” Daichi started, subconsciously hesitant in intimidation, “why are you two still with it, then?”

Glancing to the side, the fairy tsked. “We’re not powerful enough to stop them, but we’re still doing out best to try and… lessen the damage and destruction they’ve been causing. Trying to keep them from cursing or outright murdering people whenever they feel like it,” he shot an obvious look at Daichi, “and keeping an eye out in case we can figure _something_ out to pry that mask off of them, or at least find some sort of weakness. We’re the only ones they won’t hurt, so we feel like it’s up to us to do everything we can to curve their new shitty behavior.”

“Oh...” It sounded lame, but it was all he could think to say. Daichi kind of felt like an ass now. Graciously, the fairy didn’t seem to hold his earlier poor attitude against him. They’ve both been through a lot.

“Yeah,” he sighed.

Now that the mood has settled a bit, Daichi examined the fairy even closer. Behind the soft light, he looked dead tired. There were dark bags under his eyes, and his mouth was set in a weary line. Not only were his shoulders slumped, but his whole body looked like it was drooping. His wings were beating slowly, barely enough to keep him in the air. It made Daichi’s body sag in sympathy, and he sat down with his own sigh. After a moment, the fairy followed his lead, wings going limp as he sank into a Deku Flower.

After a few minutes of amicable silence, the other piped up again. “You know, you may be stuck in that body, but you don’t have to be stuck in this room. There’s a way out over there.”

A bit startled at the break in silence, Daichi looked to where he was pointing. Across the pond was a wall made of solid wood, but there was a hole he could easily fit through. That was settled, then. He was going to track down that Skull Kid, and get this curse lifted by any means necessary. The fairy stretched his limbs, and began to fly again. “In any case, I’m leaving. I don’t particularly _want_ to be around Kid again, but I’m worried about Suga. He can take care of himself, but that mask isn’t something to take lightly.”

“You know where that Skull Kid is?” Daichi asked quietly, not even sure if it was a question.

“I have an idea.”

“Take me with you.”

Mouth taking a flat line, the fairy rolled his eyes. “Kid, I told you how dangerous they are. And they’re stubborn. They would never change you back, even if you did survive another meeting with them. It’s better _and_ less suicidal if you just got used to that form, and made a life in Termina somewhere.”

“Termina?” echoed Daichi.

“...How hard did you hit your head when you fell off your horse?”

“Shut up,” he said absently, another phantom pang hitting his heart at the thought of Karasu. But the fairy’s words didn’t add up. They were still in the Lost Woods, weren’t they? He’d never heard of a place called Termina before.

Daichi’s head ached.

“Are you telling me you’re not from here?” the other mused, putting a quizzical finger to his lips, and Daichi shook his head, just as baffled.

“I’m from Hyrule..” Another lapse in conversation descended. This time, Daichi was able to break it. “I need to get out of here. I need to see where I am.”

A little surprised at the sudden determined tone, the fairy nodded and flittered backwards some. “You’re a Deku now. You can’t swim, but you should be able to use these flowers.” The fairy gestured to the large pink flower he was previously resting on, and Daichi stepped onto its center. “I don’t really know how it works though.”

That was okay. Oddly enough, Daichi _did_ know how to use it. Maybe it was instincts kicking in, but he buried himself in that flower like he’d been doing it his whole life. Magic helped him shrink down as he entered it, and he steeled himself before quickly growing, shooting out of the pistil. More of what he assumed to be Deku magic filled his brain and muscles, and he summoned two Deku Seeds without thinking. They bloomed into orange propeller flowers. Using the momentum from earlier, he crossed the pond with ease. As he landed, the flowers wilted away, shimmering petals falling to the floor in swooping arcs.

“Whoa!” the fairy gasped, genuine surprise in his voice. Daichi silently agreed.

“Let’s get going,” he said, accepting these accompanying instincts, and feeling just a little bit like his old self. “This place is depressing, and I have a sudden urge to feel the sun.” Passing through the hole in the wall, he found himself in a dark area. Soon it was illuminated with turquoise, reveling a small hallway. They continued forward. “I never did get your name.”

“What a coincidence! I never got yours either,” the fairy snarked. If Daichi had lips, he might have smiled at that. It was nice to be talking to someone with some personality after so long.

“Daichi.”

“Oikawa.”

The next room was filled with more Deku Flowers, and the duo easily made their way across its staggered ledges to the next section of the chasm. Daichi stopped, eyes roaming over his new surroundings. He was still in this weird underground forest, but the place they had stumbled into let the strangeness really seep into him. A bunch of thick, tall trees spanned out into the distance so far they started disappearing into darkness. Just as in the woods above, he couldn’t see the tops, the ceiling seemingly nonexistent anymore, not a blink of light to be seen. Some trees were cut down in a perfect pathway, and Daichi wondered who on earth not only had time to chop the mammoth trunks, but how they could even possibly do it. Moss coated large spots on the wood, thriving in the dark, moist atmosphere. Vines climbed the bark, and even more Deku Flowers splashed color across the otherwise brown and green setting. Across the path was another wall, a sculpted doorway innocently beckoning him. Looking down revealed just as much darkness as looking up. Maybe even more, and fear creeped up Daichi’s neck the longer he stared into the abyss. Getting down here required quite a fall, so how could there be anyplace deeper than this? Losing his balance here wouldn’t bring as much luck as last time, and he would certainly die.

“You okay?” Daichi glanced at his companion and nodded, silently jealous of Oikawa’s wings. There was an ache in his head. Not so much pain as it was pressure. Something about this place made his mind feel sluggish, and the more he stepped forward, the more something felt off. He wanted to leave it all behind him as soon as possible. So he dug into a nearby flower, and hopscotched from tree stump to tree stump, eventually reaching the other side after a few close calls and mild (severe) heart attacks. Frighteningly enough, his flowers couldn’t spin for very long before withering. As he landed on the final stump, he had to will himself not to fall over and kiss the ground. Not with Oikawa there.

Something was growing in front of the exit. Daichi noticed it before, but was too concentrated with his dangerous gliding. Now, though, he could investigate the… sapling?

“It kind of looks like you right now...” murmured Oikawa.

“That’s depressing.” Because it was. There was something about this little tree that made his insides churn, and sympathy sting at his eyes. Daichi can feel it wasn’t always just a tree, and said a silent prayer for the poor soul that got trapped and lost their life down here. If he gave up in the first cavern, this would have been his fate. Turning away from the Deku corpse, he steeled himself and continued forward. Oikawa followed behind silently, glancing back at the figure once more, before focusing on the living Deku he was guiding.

Daichi’s head was feeling worse. Dizzy. A pendulum of bass ringing in his ears. Did that Deku cause all this distress? Shaking his head (that didn’t help), he pushed himself to keep walking. This new hallway was definitely man-made. It was perfectly square, and stone began decorating the walls further down. Luckily it wasn’t very long, and the two managed to stumble through to a place that looked more modern than some ancient, subterranean abyss. The biggest attention grabber was an enormous underground water mill. There was a bridge close to it, allowing safe crossing over the flowing canal. Heavy metal scraped before clunking together, and Daichi turned around just in time to see thick metal doors close behind them. A feeling of finality oozed over him, and he knew trying to open them back up would be futile.

His mind was easing up, but there was a steady ticking in the air.

“Hey, let’s go, Woody!”

Daichi scowled, which probably didn’t do much to his mostly immobile face. “If you’re going to give me a nickname, at least put some thought into it. That was just lazy.”

Oikawa gasped in mock offense, a twinkle of playfulness in his eyes. “Excuse me?? My nicknames are made with only the utmost thought and love put into them!!”

“Whatever, mosquito bite.”

The fairy sputtered even more, but was obviously pleased that Daichi wasn’t opposed to a back and forth. A tiny twinkle rang by his ear, and a tiny weight settled on his head. Memories of _her_ rushed through his mind, but he shook them away. Right now his number one priority was getting back to normal. The bridge was sturdy. It also turned into multiple ramps, ascending upwards to another floor. The ticking was almost deafening here, but Daichi couldn’t see where it was coming from. He could barely see his own hand in front of his face, not even Oikawa’s glow cut through the darkness encompassing this floor. Daichi was getting real sick of unnatural darkness real quick. As he slowly made his way deeper into the room, he finally noticed a thick, rotating wooden pillar. Past that was a small set of steps that led to a giant pair of wooden doors. Sighing in relief, he jogged towards them, desperate to get away from the ticking and suffocating atmosphere.

“You’ve been met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”

Quickly, Daichi whipped around, defenses up. A Deku Seed appeared in his hand again, growing into a Deku Stick in the blink of an eye. He didn’t know he could do that, but was glad this body at least came with a proper set of instincts. Oikawa startled as well, falling backwards off of Daichi’s head. Standing a bit away was a man. He was very large, and very broad. His skin was tanned, jaw square with a neutral expression set on his face. His hair was earthy brown, a moss sheen sprouting from his roots. Strangely fitting, considering where Daichi had just come from. Fancy, but tasteful clothing of purple, black, and white adorned him. A modest amount of gold jewelry accented his outfit. Beside him was a large rucksack stuffed to the brim, its fabric much more worn than the man’s clothing, with a multitude of colorful masks hanging from it. Daichi couldn’t wrap his head around anyone but a Goron being able to carry it without any trouble. Though that wasn’t important right now. “Who are you?” he asked, wishing he were at least a little more intimidating. The man’s expression didn’t change.

“Excuse me,” he said, bowing slightly. “My name is Ushijima Wakatoshi, and I’m the owner of the Happy Mask Shop. I travel around, buying, selling, and trading a variety of masks.”

“Fascinating,” chimed Oikawa sarcastically. Ushijima flicked his eyes to the fairy, still stone faced. They stared at each other. Or rather, Ushijima stared, while Oikawa glared with contempt, chin raised haughtily. The tension was palpable, and Ushijima’s lips quirked downward for a moment, before straightening out again. He turned back to Daichi, and Oikawa huffed.

“I have a proposition for you.”

“...Huh?”

“If you can get back your ocarina, I can return you to your original form.”

Daichi was stunned, almost speechless. “How.. do you know about that..?”

“I’ve been following you.”

“What?!” they both exclaimed, and Daichi was both frightened and confused, because _how_?? If this Ushijima guy knows his ocarina was stolen, that means he must have seen what happened in the Lost Woods. So how did he get down to the chasm? He couldn’t have fallen like Daichi. Was there another way down here?

“I don’t trust him,” whispered Oikawa, and he had to agree, but the prospect of getting his body back outweighed his paranoia.

“Your curse was caused by one of my masks.” Ushijima continued, unfazed by Daichi and Oikawa’s outburst. “It’s an extremely dangerous mask. An imp stole it from me a while ago.” Oikawa clenched his jaw. “It should be a simple task for someone like you, right?”

“What do you mea-”

“That is my proposition. You get your ocarina and my mask back from the imp, and I’ll help you become human again.”

Taking a deep breath, Daichi composed himself. Everything about this guy made him uneasy, even though he was being completely reasonable. Plus, he was going after that Skull Kid anyway, there’s no reason he shouldn’t snatch the mask away with his ocarina. He’s saved an entire kingdom from an all-powerful dark force before. He can do it again. Oikawa was by his side as well, and that was a pretty big advantage in itself.

“Alright,” he agreed, “that sounds fair to me.”

“Of course it does,” said Ushijima, with no sarcasm. Daichi thought his straightforwardness was something he’d have to get used to. “However,” oh great, “I need the mask back within three days. No more than that.”

“What?!” he exclaimed while Oikawa tsked in annoyance. “Why only three days? What’s going to happen if I take longer than that?”

“I won’t be here in three days.”

“Why? Where will you be?”

“Not here. And neither will you if you don’t get it back within that time.”

“What?! What are you talkin-”

“Daichi,” Oikawa cut in, tone unamused, “let’s just go. I think three days will be plenty of time.”

Still trying to calm his temper, Daichi huffed, then nodded. “Fine, I’ll be back within three days with your dumb mask.” Turning, he hopped up the steps, and put his hands on one of the doors, pushing it open.

Before he finally stepped into the light, he faintly heard Ushijima once more. “For everyone’s sake, I hope you are successful.”


	2. Clock Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi and Oikawa need to find the Skull Kid as soon as they can
> 
> Too bad fate wants to slow them down

The doors opened, and Daichi stepped into sunlight for the first time in a long time. It’s been weeks, maybe even months, for all he could remember. His time spent in the woods all blurred together in a musty haze. Being out in fresh air was beyond refreshing, and he breathed in the fresh morning scent deeply. It was cool in his chest, and though he didn’t have skin anymore, he could still faintly feel a breeze passing by. The feeling was nice, and being outside rested nerves he didn’t know had been buzzing so incessantly, but something still bothered him. “Where.. is the forest?”

A sensible question, in his opinion. He spent an indeterminable amount of time in the Lost Woods, and the trees just seemed to be getting taller and denser. They had also made their way up here from deep underground, but how is it only a couple of ramps led them to the surface? Daichi knows he fell much deeper than he climbed. Walls surrounded whatever town they were in, all bright and unique with different colorful designs and patterns staining each one. He walked a little bit farther in town to look in every direction. Open sky extended as far as the eye could see. Something wasn’t adding up, and it left an uneasy feeling in his gut.

“I don’t know,” murmured Oikawa.

“How can you not know? You live here, right??”

“Yeah, but I still don’t know how we got to that stupid forest, okay?” he huffed, cocking his head unhappily. “That mask has some crazy magic, and Kid learned how to make portals to wherever they want. I don’t understand it, but we just had to go along with it if we wanted to stay with them. I guess, at some point, they opened a portal back here and we wandered through it.”

The uneasiness didn’t go away, and Daichi sighed. He felt like he was going to be doing a lot of that. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on things, though, and he decided to look around a little more. Behind them he saw the doors they stepped through lead out of a giant clock tower, which explained the booming ticking inside. That’s the most rational explanation he’s been given all day. It was obviously the tallest structure around, built mostly with stone, while the doors, face, and minor details were all wood. A swirling pattern had also been painted on the doors, and the rim of the face would turn as a minute passed by. He wondered if the inner circle turned on the hour, though what caught his immediate attention was how abstractly that part had been painted. To him, it resembled a bird flying through both the day and night sky. Birds have always been very special to him, so it was no wonder he was enamored with what was basically the highlight of town.

An open area stretched in front of him. What looked to be construction workers paraded around the place, carrying lumber from one spot to the next, and hammering wood together to make all kinds of framework. In the center stood a half-built tower covered in heavy cloth, and around the perimeter were unmanned stalls. Some were only half built, while a couple were being worked on. In the right corner was a small ramp of stairs leading around a, most likely secluded, part of town. Further down the wall from that was an archway where Daichi could make out a curving hill, and a couple doors to what were probably shops built into the wall. Directly across from that archway on Daichi’s left was a wide set of stairs leading up to more town, and more shops. Small pools of water were dug against the far walls on either side of the clock tower, both shallow and clear. Past those were wooden ramps leading up and around the back of the clock. There was a large, golden Deku Flower near the right pool, and Daichi could see some doors scattered along the walls as well, most likely homes of the townsfolk since they didn’t have any kind of signs indicating they were a business. Posters and fliers were scattered in random patches across every wall he saw, some definitely newer than others, some being duplicates hung literally beside or overlapping each other. It was a bit of a mess, but Daichi liked it. All of the loud people, and colors, and patterns, and tattered papers made this place feel alive.

Oikawa settled on Daichi’s shoulder. “Welcome to Clock Town. More specifically, South Clock Town. It’s where you’ll find most residencies, and there’s also usually people running those stands like a market, but it’s going to be loud and busy these next few days.”

“What are these guys building? More market stands?”

“Nah, they’re setting things up for the Carnival of Time.”

Ugh, more time events. “What’s that?”

Oikawa stared at him like he had two heads. “It’s, like, the biggest festival of the year. It’s a celebration to the gods, and people pray for good luck and good harvests in the upcoming year. Perfect big profit opportunity for merchants too, since there’s so many people from everywhere all gathered in one spot, getting drunk and sleep deprived and lost in the atmosphere all night.”

“Sounds pretty corrupt, you sure the gods appreciate such a party?”

Oikawa made a noise in the back of his throat. “I mean, the merchants are only a small percent,” he explained. “Most people really are genuine about it, just in a more exuberant way. Don’t you think the gods are bored of silent prayer circles and creepy community chanting? If it were me, I’d love watching my people be happy, dancing and singing and setting off fireworks to try and include me the best they could.”

Though Daichi could kind of see where the fairy was coming from, it was all still very different from what he’s used to. Hyrule was always full of quiet worshiping, and a lot of people found it quite personal, and would pray alone or with close loved ones. But, as it has been made perfectly clear to him, he’s not in Hyrule anymore. Shrugging, and jostling his companion, he looked around a little more. There were many paths he could take just from the little he could see here. “So, where’s the Skull Kid? Even without sleep, three days is only seventy-two hours. And we’re gonna need _some_ sleep if we want to stay sharp and focused. Are you sure that’s enough time?”

Fluttering into view, Oikawa nodded. “It should be. Termina’s got a lot in it, but it’s all relatively close to each other. I don’t exactly know _where_ they are, but the Great Fairy will be able to help us. She knows everything that’s going on around here, and if we’re lucky, Kid’s causing trouble close to town.”

“You said you knew where it was,” Daichi grumbled.

“I said I had an idea,” he corrected, lips slightly thinned, “but the Great Fairy is just over in North Clock Town, it would be stupid not to check with her and make sure we know where we’re going.”

“Fine,” Daichi relented, a bit of a groan in the word. “Lead the way, all knowing Oikawa.” A pause. “Or, should I say, Has-An-Idea-But-Needs-To-Check-With-Mom-First-Oikawa.”

Puffing his cheeks, Oikawa pulled a piece of Daichi’s hair/foliage. “Har har.” He then kicked off Daichi’s head, and flew up one of the clock tower’s side ramps. There were two more archways on either side, and one right behind it. Going through the latter, the duo entered North Clock Town. It was a wide open area that looked like an unkempt park. Straight ahead was a large gate, open but with a guard standing in front of it. There was one like that in South Clock Town, now that Daichi thinks about it, and it was also guarded. He wonders if there’s one in every direction. Half of the ground was dirt, its path forming a wobbly intersection across the area. In the back right corner was a sad excuse for a playground. It was overgrown with weeds and had only a single, lopsided swing hung from a dying tree, and a slide that looked like it would hurt to use. To the right was yet another archway, and Daichi was starting to understand how this town was sectioned off. Left was a small slope leading up to the large mouth of a dark cave. A couple more half dead trees were tucked into corners, and out-of-control vines grew up every wall he could see, almost completely obscuring the pretty paint that was barely peeking out in the bald patches.

A little kid was standing in the center, shooting a tiny blowgun at a large purple balloon. The balloon must have been very thick, or the kid just couldn’t blow hard enough, because all of his darts were just bouncing right off.

“Takeru!” Oikawa called, bouncing over to the child. “Whatcha doing?” he asked, glancing from the boy, to the balloon, and to the boy again.

Following the fairy, Daichi watched as Takeru turned at his name. Even though he was around nine or ten years old, he still stood taller than Daichi in his Deku form. He had a buzzed head, and half-lidded eyes. His shirt was white with red sleeves, and he wore beige shorts with dirty white sneakers. Either unsurprised at the fairy, or unimpressed, he cocked his head towards the balloon. “This thing showed up this morning, and ever since I got here it’s been in the same spot. It won’t float any higher or lower, so I wanna pop it and see if anything happens. Like, it’s obviously being held there by some kind of magic, but it just being there is annoying me.” He shrugged, and went back to his mission, blowing darts at the balloon until he runs out, and then collecting them just to start all over again. Daichi was impressed by his determination, at the very least. Oikawa frowned and gave one last glance to the balloon, before jerking his head towards the cave and heading there next. Takeru gave Daichi a quick once over from the corner of his eye as he passed by, probably thinking he was being discreet, but failing.

The cave was dark, and a bit chilly. As they walked farther in, however, the walls began to slowly sparkle, and magic could be felt in the air. Vines crawled up the walls here as well, and the sound of rushing water became louder and louder. Finally they made it to the back, where it opened up into a beautiful, sparkling pool surrounded by intricate marble pillars. Vibrant green vines circled them in an elegant web. The entire circumference of the wall was a waterfall, fresh smelling water rushing into the pool, which never filled any higher than it was.

Unfortunately Daichi couldn’t really focus on the scenery, for Oikawa let out a dismayed, “No!” and flew into the center of the fountain. Dozens of small, orange fairies were fluttering between each other, bumping into each other, and just looking very, very lost and confused. Daichi hurried forwards, stopping just in front of the pool.

“Young one,” one said, floating past.

“Please help me,” said another.

One after another they flittered by, never once stopping their erratic pattern around the fountain. “I have been shattered by the evil masked one.” Oikawa seemed to stutter in his flight, coming back over to Daichi to sit on his shoulder, huddling down close to his neck. He was panicking.

“There is one stray fairy lost in town.”

“The masked child took her away from here.”

“Please find her and bring her back!”

They surrounded Daichi then, all pleading with him at the same time, ramming into him and each other. He felt suffocated, and all of the fairies talking at the same time was setting his nerves on edge. Oikawa seemed to be doing worse, and he hurriedly backed away.

“Okay okay, I’ll find her!” he shouted, hands up in a placating manner. When he was far enough away, the fairies stopped circling him, and went back to their dazed wandering around the fountain. “I’ll find her, and I’ll bring her back.” They didn’t seem to hear him, or at least, they didn’t acknowledge him. That was fine. Turning around, he ran until he was outside of the cave. Daichi was definitely rattled, his breathing quick and heart beating from the literal tornado of negativity he was just engulfed in.

“I never thought...” Oikawa started, sounding distant and even more shaken up than Daichi, “I never thought Kid could hurt a Great Fairy...” Daichi couldn’t tell if he was even talking to him or not. “This is getting out of hand,” he continued, louder now. “We need to destroy that mask.”

“I know,” Daichi responded, and started down the slope. “Do you know where the missing fairy is?”

“No. Just… head straight down this path. She wasn’t in South Clock Town, so let’s head to East. I’ll turn this whole town upside down if I have to.”

Silently nodding, he headed that way. Takeru was still trying to pop the balloon, and the guard was still watching him, having nothing else to do. They both ignored Daichi as he rushed past. He was a little miffed that neither of them know about the state of the Great Fairy, but put those feelings aside. He’s been through situations like these enough to know that he was just overwhelmed and mentally lashing out at people who he really didn’t want to deal with all the stress he was currently carrying, but couldn’t help but be envious at their care-free lives.

East Clock Town, Daichi could already tell, was much bigger than North or South. To the immediate left was a large, important looking building made of redwood logs. The paint on this building was white and simple to not take away from the pretty wood. In front of him was an alley that lead down somewhere, but another kid was sitting in front of the entrance. To his right were two sets of stairs – one leading up to a rooftop, and the other, wider set, leading down to more buildings. There were fliers and posters hung all over the walls here as well. A lot of them looked very old and weathered. They were so illegible, Daichi wondered why someone hadn’t taken them down yet.

Oikawa was jittery, looking back and forth, scanning the area before heading towards the stairs. Daichi followed him down, worried, but also keeping an eye out. Because of his short legs, Daichi had to take his time and concentrate hopping down the steps, going one by one. Oikawa didn’t wait for him, as he made a soft noise and zoomed off in a turquoise blur. Daichi’s eyes widened when ghey found him, hovering in front of the very fairy they were looking for. Lucky. He finished his trek down the stairs, and came to stand below his companion, who was softly talking to the fairy. He linked his hand in hers, and gently tugged her down. Stress still outlined Oikawa’s form, but he looked relieved at the same time. “I’ve never been happier this town is so laughably small in my entire life,” he said.

“Yeah,” Daichi agreed, not knowing what else to say. So far Oikawa has always had a clear head, and was extremely confident in himself. Seeing him freaked out so bad sent unpleasant chills down his spine. The new fairy looked just as out of it as the others. Her eyes were wide and looking everywhere, but seeing nothing. She kept drifting off, and he noticed Oikawa’s grip on her hand tighten more and more. Taking a deep breath, Daichi turned and started hopping back up the stairs. It was even more annoying than going down. “Let’s take her home.”

Oikawa nodded fiercely, plopping them both on his head when he reached the top.

They ran past Takeru for a third time, the boy slightly breathless and obviously frustrated that he couldn’t pop the balloon. He paid them no mind. Though Daichi did have to slow down for a moment, distracted by a weird guy using a giant red balloon to hover above the town’s gate. He was wearing a red, full body suit, with white...underwear? over it. If he wasn’t in a hurry, listening to Oikawa trying to soothe the other fairy while prodding him to keep moving, he would have taken the time to properly gawk at such a strange character. As it was, he ran up and into the cave, bringing the lost fairy back home.

As they got closer to the pool, he could feel Oikawa struggling to keep a hold on the fairy, until she finally broke free and made a beeline for the others. Gasps and cries rang out, echoing off the walls. The fairies began circling around her faster and faster, making a bright orange typhoon, before collapsing in on each other. A blinding ball of light formed, and then exploded into a single giant fairy. Happy laughs accompanied her revival, as she spun around in glee before turning on her belly and crossing her arms under her chin. Warm, amber eyes gazed down at them, a soft smile gracing her round face. Her hair was a shining chestnut color, swooped to the left and curling in on her cheeks with a cute pixie cut. Healthy green vines spun up and around her entire body, leaves even scattered into her hair. She was beautiful, but it was a more simple beauty than the Great Fairies in Hyrule. Daichi was in awe.

“Thank you, Tooru, for bringing my broken and shattered body back together,” she said, voice sounding just as sweet as she looked. Oikawa bowed, and Daichi found himself taken aback that he had more than one name, but didn’t dwell on it as the Great Fairy turned her attention to him. “And you too, young one.”

“You’re welcome,” he responded formally, bowing low, causing her to giggle.

“Yui, how did the Skull Kid hurt you so badly?” came Oikawa, unable to hold back his question any longer. “I thought out of anyone, a Great Fairy would be someone they wouldn’t be able to hurt!”

Her smile dropped, expression turning pinched and embarrassed. “I was… careless. The masked child came to me asking for help, and I fell for their tricks. The next thing I knew was pain and confusion as I was broken.”

“You’re not-”

“Tooru,” she cut in, “I was foolish, and there’s no need to pretend that I wasn’t. The mask was obviously letting out a bad aura, but I ignored it, and believed the child was fighting it... and I was wrong.” She chuckled to herself demeaningly. Neither boy knew what to do or say to cheer her up. In the next instant she straightened up, a fire in her eyes, and slapped both hands to her cheeks. Hard. The sound resonated through the cave, and there were visible red prints on her cheeks when she pulled her hands away. Daichi and Oikawa could only stare, wide-eyed. Yui took a slow, deep breath, and sat up straight, arms folded across her chest and legs crossed. “I’m still weak from my injury, but I can still offer you a small gift.” She uncrossed her arms, a small red charm now held in her right hand. Holding the charm in front of her, she ripped it in half, and blew towards Daichi. It fizzled into magic, sticking to him and sinking into his bark. A warm heat began to run through his veins, and a familiar power formed inside of him. It was like the last time a Great Fairy gifted him with magic, which was taken from him when he was sent back in time for the final time, but different nonetheless.

“That is some of my magic. Please, young Daichi, use it with good intentions.” Yui was smiling again, her eyes crinkling, but tired.

“I will,” Daichi breathed, body tingling with new energy.

Oikawa stared at him with a calculating gaze, biting his bottom lip, but said nothing. He turned back to Yui. “Before we discovered your broken form, we came here to ask you something.” She nodded at him, attentive and listening. “Do you know where the Skull Kid is?”

Pursing her lips, she sighed lightly. “I’m sorry, but I don’t. My powers are still too weak, and mind to scattered to tell you. It will take a few days for my strength to fully return. Even then, the child is so powerful, I’m still not sure if I _could_ pinpoint their location.” An apologetic crease furrowed her brow. “But, I feel that you should visit the man who lives in the observatory.” Oikawa perked up at that. “He should be able to help you with your search, I’m sure of it.”

“Thank you, Great Fairy Yui!” Daichi shouted, bowing stiffly once more. They had a definite waypoint, and he was thrilled about it.

Yui giggled once more, quietly mumbling, “So formal,” under her breath. She then composed herself again, possibly mimicking Daichi’s posture, and folded her hands on her lap. “You’re welcome. I can feel your courageous and kind soul, and am happy to help.” She dipped her head. “Though, I don’t know if the gratitude is warranted...” Her smile turned a tad morose. “Please, be careful. Both of you. Do not underestimate this child’s power.”

Daichi clenched his wooden fist. “We won’t.” Oikawa gave a single, curt nod.

Extending her arm, Yui touched Daichi’s forehead with her forefinger. “If your curse is ever broken, come and see me again. I should be able to help you more.”

“Okay,” he said, stiffly, and he knows his cheeks would be burning right now if he had skin.

Oikawa snickered nearby as Yui withdrew her finger and leaned back. “Now, I need to rest. However, you are always welcome here. This is a safe place, and if you are ever hurt, please come back here, and I will heal you.” She turned to Oikawa. “Tooru,” he stood at attention, “please, look after him.”

Stiffening, Oikawa gawked at Yui, eyes darting to Daichi and back. “O-of course.”

“Thank you,” she smiled softly, body finally sagging from exhaustion, and dissolved into light, scattering over the fountain.

An awkwardness filled the air as they were left alone once more. “Guess we should go and let her rest,” Daichi mumbled, and turned to head outside. In the back of his mind, he noticed the cave wasn’t as cold as before.

“So,” Daichi began, ruffling his hair as they stepped into the sunlight, “where’s this observatory?”

Oikawa seemed to brighten at that, literally. He must really like that place. “Oh, there’s a door leading in right outside of town! You’ll have to climb a fence, but it’s not that high. Something tells me you’ve climbed over your share of fences in the past anyway.” There was a light of intrigue and suspicion twinkling in his eyes. Ever since their talk with Yui, he seemed to be studying Daichi a lot closer. Like this poor, cursed boy was a puzzle to be solved.

“Alright,” he responded, vaguely wondering if he would ever tell his new friend (friend?) about what happened in Hyrule. Internally shrugging, he followed the fairy over to the gate. They had something else they needed to focus on right now.

As Daichi went to leave the town’s boarders, the guard straightened from his relaxed position of leaning on the wall, and stepped in front of him. “Whoa there, kid, where do you think you’re going?” he frowned, raised, sharp brow accompanying it. A normal guard’s uniform adorned him, which consisted of a simple dark blue singlet covered by long sleeved mail, a silver breastplate, silver gauntlets, and boots to match. An intricate design was etched into the armor, and it seemed vastly more elegant than the man wearing it. Said man was sporting a serious widow’s peak that drew up into blonde, spiky hair. His cheeks were a bit gaunt, but his eyes were piercing, and expression unamused.

“Um, outside?” Daichi questioned, confused.

“Um, no?” the guard mocked, and shook his head. “I can’t just let a kid go out of town on their own. There are monsters roaming the fields, and you will die. I ain’t having that on my conscience.”

“I’ll be fine!” he argued, suddenly very aware of how small his body was, especially since he was standing next to a full-grown person for the first time since his curse. It was alarmingly intimidating, but Daichi wasn’t one to give in to intimidation.

“No.” The guard stood taller, and bumped his spear on the ground. “There are absolutely _no_ kids allowed out of the walls without an adult. No exceptions.”

Scrambling to come up with _something_ , Daichi pointed at Oikawa. “He’ll be with me!”

Both the guard and fairy snorted, a bit of spittle spraying from the former’s mouth while Oikawa’s hand shot up to cover his grin. “A fairy, adult or not, isn’t going to be able to stop a ChuChu from gobbling you up, sorry kid.”

“Well… what about you? It’s just to the observatory! You can take me there, and come right back!” Daichi was grasping at straws, but he was also desperate. He doubted any of the other adults in town would take some strange Deku kid outside, even if he did ask. At least guards were _supposed_ to help the public.

A sneer began to form on the guard’s lips, clearly agitated. “I can’t leave my post. Believe it or not, you’re not the only kid who likes trying to sneak outa town.” He nodded towards Takeru, who was acting like he wasn’t eavesdropping, but obviously was by the way he wasn’t blowing any darts. “Now for the last time, you can’t leave. Go get your parents if you really need to go that badly, but until then,” he flicked his wrists, and whacked Daichi’s butt with the hilt of his spear, “scram!”

Jumping at the contact and stumbling back, Daichi finally walked away, mortified. Oikawa still had his hand over his mouth, and the other wound around his stomach. There were tears in his eyes and he was practically flying sideways from trying not to burst out in ugly laughs. Daichi hoped he ran into a wall. Takeru was also snickering around his blow dart. “Nice try,” he hollered over. Walking to the slide, he sat down at the bottom and rubbed his cheeks. A light weight landed on his head, and a tiny hand patted him condescendingly. Even the weeds seemed to be laughing at him. “There, there. You almost got out of there with your dignity.”

“Ever been punched in the face?” He grumbled.

“...Yes.” Daichi raised his head at that, but before he could say anything, Oikawa continued talking. “By the way, there’s an underground waterway in East Clock Town. I think it’s the same one that rotates the waterwheel under the clock tower, but it also leads to a back entry of the observatory.”

“What?!” Daichi exclaimed, snapping his head up so fast the fairy fell off and hit the slide behind him.

Whining, Oikawa stumbled around, leaning an arm on Daichi’s leg and rubbing the side of his head. “Mean! That hurt, nuts for brains!”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Because going outside was a shorter path! I didn’t know you’d be awful at stealth!”

“You didn’t tell me kids weren’t allowed out! Did you not know?”

“Of course I knew,” he pouted, flapping his hands. He stopped leaning on Daichi’s leg, but still stood on the slide. “I just forgot about it ‘til we got stopped because you act like a grumpy old man half the time.” Crossing his arms, he stuck his tongue out.

“Then why didn’t you say anything before I started arguing with that guard who’s three times my size!?”

“Because I wanted to see how that one played out.” A smirk.

Standing up, Daichi threw his hands up in the air and groaned, before plopping back down on the slide, drained. Oikawa startled at almost being sat on, and took to the sky once more. Huffing, he let Daichi pout for a few more moments before grabbing a leaf on his head and yanking on it. “Alr _i_ _ii_ ght, enough of the pity party,” he said over Daichi’s pained yelp, “let’s go.”

Sighing, Daichi stood once more. Yes they did need to get going, but that doesn’t mean he’s still not wallowing in shame. They made their way into East Clock Town. “So what’s that building?” he asked, pointing to the upscale place he noticed before. Now that their nerves weren’t frazzled, he felt like he could ask some questions about the town.

“That’s the mayor’s residence. Mayor Ukai and his partner, Mister Takeda both live and work there,” he explained. “Ukai’s a good man, and works hard, and Mister Takeda is very kind. The people especially love him. Though Ukai’s easily overwhelmed by bigger decisions, and Mister Takeda’s kind of pushy, but I guess nobody can be as perfect as me,” he said wistfully, fluffing his hair.

“If you need someone to give you a list of your flaws to feel included, I’ll happily help you out,” Daichi smiled, a bit malicious, but mostly teasing. Oikawa gasped and _may_ have flipped him off.

“The Crow’s Nest Inn,” he continued, voice noticeably haughtier, “is down the stairs to the right, and Tanaka’s Tavern is to the left. The other buildings are Game Shops, where you spend money and try to win a prize. It’s basically gambling, but Mayor Ukai doesn’t like using that term.”

Daichi nodded, and figured he could explore these places better when he wasn’t on a time crunch. For now, they went to the alley where the kid from earlier was still sitting, writing in a little book. “Excuse me, but we need to get to the observatory.”

The kid looked up at them sleepily, tilting his head. “Password?”

“...What?”

“Only Lil Tykes are allowed through here. If you don’t know the password, I can’t let you through.”

Crossing his arms, Daichi tried to give the kid his best Stern Glare. “Listen kid, this isn’t some game. It’s _extremely_ important that we get to the observatory.”

The kid shook his head, and stood up. Probably trying to scare Daichi. He failed. “If Boss never gave you the password, you’re not allowed in. That’s the rules.”

Oikawa tsked. “But Takeru _did_ say we could come through! Come on, you know me and him are best buds, so why don’t you step aside and make everyone’s lives easier.”

“Then what’s the password?” This kid was persistent. “I can’t really stop you, ‘cause you’re a fairy and all, but if the Deku kid don’t know the password, he’s not allowed in.”

Huffing, Daichi stomped his foot. Even though he’s shorter than this kid right now, he’s still older. He _could_ force his way through, but that would just cause trouble. Not only would he feel awful for bullying a defenseless child, but he’s sure the townspeople wouldn’t be too kind to a violent Deku, no matter how young. It was obvious by how no one had outright tried to beat him yet that Terminan Dekus were different than Hylean Dekus. Less aggressive, maybe. Still, roughing up a kid was not on his list of options right now. “Fine,” he finally grouched, “we’ll get the password, and we’ll be back.” With that, he stalked his way back to North Clock Town. All this back and forth should be giving him whiplash by now.

Oikawa flew ahead of him, just as annoyed with the situation. “Hey! Takeru! Give us the password for your dumb club!”

Takeru abruptly stopped trying to pop the balloon, turning with a disgruntled frown and his knuckles on his hips. “It’s not a dumb club! We’re a society for justice!”

Oikawa waved his hands at the kid as Daichi approached. “Yeah yeah, whatever, just give us the password. We’re on official business from the Great Fairy, and we need to get to the observatory ASAP.”

“Only Lil Tykes get to know the password, and neither of you are Lil Tykes.”

“Holy shit,” Oikawa whispered, covering his face and tilting his head to the sky, trying to stay composed. “Come _oooon_! We don’t have time for this!” he whined, lowering his hands. “We have actual, _serious_ business we need to take care of!”

Takeru rolled his eyes, somehow staying more composed than either of them. Maybe because he didn’t know actual _lives_ were on the line here, but they couldn’t go around spreading unnecessary panic. Though, anyone could see their obvious stress, so he sighed and relaxed his stance. “I’ll make ya a deal. Pass my test, and I’ll give you guys the secret code to the hideout.”

“You little-”

“Fine,” Daichi sighed. Oikawa huffed, and puffed his cheeks out. “Fine, what’s your test?”

Takeru looked taken aback at the compliance, but schooled his features. “It’s pretty simple. You just gotta find and tag all of the Lil Tykes in Clock Town. Um, not including the one guarding the hideout. You do that in under an hour, and I’ll give you the password.”

Like, hide and seek? Daichi hasn’t played that in years. Back before he had a fairy, the Kokiri liked to play. A lot of times they would even play in the Lost Woods. Mido would tell the others not to look for him, and they usually followed his instructions since no one wanted to be put on weeding duty. However, there was always one girl who always came to find him anyway. A feeling of bitter nostalgia washed over him. He missed her.

Now, however, it was finally his turn to be the seeker. He couldn’t believe his path towards a deadly evil was being blocked by a bunch of children making him play hide and seek. Such was life, he supposed, and he squared his shoulders. “When do we start?”

Rolling his eyes a little, Takeru began walking towards East Clock Town. “Calm down there, Deku Scrub, I have to tell the others first. You guys stay here, and I’ll be back when everything’s ready.”

Oikawa lowered to sit on Daichi’s head. “I can’t believe this,” he griped, sounding like he just wanted to lay down and sleep for a year. At least, that’s what Daichi felt like doing. “Kid is out there with an evil mask doing goddess knows what, and we’re stuck playing with annoying, snot nosed kids. Suga would be laughing his ass off if he knew what we were going through right now.”

Suga. The other fairy stuck with that Skull Kid, trying to handle it on his own. From what he can gather, he and Oikawa have been friends for a very, very long time. It’s been one thing after another since he’s been cursed, and Daichi never got a chance to ask about him. Now seems to be a pretty good time to bring it up. “So wha-”

“Excuse me!!” called a voice, startling both Daichi and Oikawa. They looked towards the voice, which strangely enough came from above. It was the balloon man, waving at them with a big smile, and parchment in his hand. “Do you need a map, little Deku? I’m selling them!”

“Um...”

“You really don’t,” chimed the fairy. “I know this place inside and out, it’d be a waste of money.”

“That may be true, but...what if something happened? What if we got separated, or split up for some reason?”

“We won’t,” Oikawa said sharply.

Daichi glanced back up at balloon guy. “How much?!”

“Only five rupees!”

Well, that settles it. “I’ll take one!”

“Fantastic!” he called, then froze as he realized something. “Um, I’m not sure how to get down to you!”

Oikawa snickered, and Daichi was unimpressed. Looking around, he only saw the guard, but didn’t want to get within ten feet of the guy ever again. Then his eyes landed on the Fairy’s Fountain, and it suddenly came back to him that he had magic. His Deku body knew what to do with magic, and he turned to target the guy’s balloon. Not like it was an easy target to miss, but this was his first time using Deku magic. Oikawa mostly stopped laughing, and looked on in interest.

Taking a deep breath, Daichi summoned the magic to form a film around his mouth. A bubble started to form as he blew, and when he deemed it big enough, he snapped the magic closed, launching the bubble at the balloon. It hit, and burst, releasing the energy stored inside to pop the red balloon. The sound was loud, and on par with the man’s yelp as he fell to the ground. Somehow the aftermath of popping the only thing keeping that guy twelve feet in the air never occurred to Daichi, and he worriedly ran over to him. “Are you okay?” he gasped.

A muffled groan answered him, the man’s face against the dirt. “Owww… Why did you do that?”

“Uhh..” Daichi scratched the back of his neck. “It was the only way I could think of to get you down...” Oikawa snorted.

As the man began to stand, dusting off his offensive red suit in the process, Daichi realized two things. One, this guy was definitely more of a teenager than an adult, maybe sixteen or seventeen. And two, he was very, very tall. It was hard to judge from his new height, but he didn’t even come up to his hips when he fully stood. It was a little intimidating, and Oikawa lowly whistled in acknowledgment. Unfortunately for him, the skintight suit and wide smile made him lose most of his intimidation factor in an instant. “My name’s Lev! And I’m traveling around selling maps!” He held up the paper still clutched in his hand, now crinkled and ripped a little. Now that he was back on the earth, Daichi could see his eyes were a pretty green, and a tuft of silver hair poked out of the suit’s hood.

“Is that what you do for a living?” asked Oikawa, raising a brow. “Because, forgive me, but five rupees for a map most people don’t even _need_ hardly seems profitable.”

Lev chuckled, somehow not picking up on the fairy’s patronizing tone. “Well, it’s honestly just something I’m doing on the side. I’m actually traveling around to promote Mr. Washio’s Swamp Tourist Center! I actually work for him, and business hasn’t exactly been booming, so he sent me out to tell people about it! And since the carnival is almost here, there’s more people around to talk to!” He smiled, giving the duo a wink. “He takes people sightseeing around the Southern Swamp, and there are a couple witches that work with him too! One runs a scenic boat ride, and the other brews authentic witch’s potions that you can buy!” The boy was practically bouncing in place by the time he was done explaining things, and Daichi felt a fondness come over him at Lev’s genuine enthusiasm. It sounded pretty interesting, and when this was all over he’d probably go and check it out. That particular list kept growing, and he couldn’t wait to get this mask business over and done with.

“How come you only told us about the map when promoting your boss’ business is what you’re supposed to do?”

Confusion planted itself on Lev’s face. “Because you’re a Deku? You should know all about the swamp and Mr. Washio, so I figured you were a tourist in Clock Town and thought you’d be the perfect candidate for a map sale.”

Oikawa leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “The Deku Palace is in the Southern Swamp.” Oh. “So,” he said louder, “what’s with the get up? Your boss make you wear that too?”

At this, Lev looked a little embarrassed, and pulled on the suit a bit. “Um, yeah. He said it would catch people’s eye, giving me the chance to start a conversation..”

“Honestly, I think your height alone is enough to catch someone’s eye,” Daichi murmured, but the other heard him.

“Yeah, it usually does..” He paused, then perked up. “Oh! But you wanted to buy a map, right? This one got messed up, so let me get you a fresh one.” He pulled a wooden, cylindrical case from his hip, and unscrewed the top. Sticking his finger in, he inched out some more paper until he could grab and pull them out. He took one from the pile, and held it out to Daichi. “Here you go! That’ll be five rupees!”

Daichi startled a bit, hurriedly fumbling with his wallet while Lev stood there with the map extended. Grabbing a blue rupee, he made his purchase.

“Thank you!” chirped Lev, putting the money in his own pouch, and rolling the maps back up to put them away once more. When everything was settled, he bowed, and Daichi bowed back. “It was nice to meet you! I should probably go into town and do what Mr. Washio told me to do though.” With another smile, he waved wildly while jogging into town, long legs carrying him with ease. “See ya!”

Daichi perplexedly waved at his back, a little overwhelmed with that whirlwind of a meeting. The bright suit was still plainly visible, but then he turned a corner and was gone. “Wow,” was all Oikawa said on the situation, and Daichi could only nod. Lev was eccentric, but a good kid, and... exciting to be around. He wouldn’t mind running into him again, hopefully as a human next time. “I still think you wasted your money.” Daichi rolled his eyes, and sat on the ground. If anything, that was a decent time killer while they were waiting for the game to start.

Another ten minutes passed, and in that time Daichi decided to study his new map. No matter how incredible a guide Oikawa said he was, it would do him good to familiarize himself with these new surroundings as best as he could. It turned out, Clock Town really was a small town, and he’s been to most of it already. The only places he has yet to go to were West Clock Town, and the Laundry Pool, which was where that little alcove in South Clock Town lead to. Sitting on the ground beside him was Oikawa, fiddling with a dandelion petal. He looked bored, and stated that fact several times now. Daichi just ignored him. A few moments later he saw the fairy’s head perk up out of the corner of his eye, before he ascended from the pile of ripped grass and petals he had been making. Following his line of sight, Daichi noticed Takeru coming towards them.

“Okay Deku Kid, everyone’s hiding. Tag all of the Lil Tykes within an hour, and the password is yours. You should be able to recognize them because they’re wearing the same shirt as me, but with blue sleeves. Rules state that no one can hide inside, so don’t waste your time with that, got it?”

Daichi nodded, silently thankful for that. His body was tense with anticipation, and anxious to get moving after staying in one place for so long. Takeru looked towards the clock. “It’s about 10:05 right now, so you have until 11:05 to find everyone. Ready...and go!”

He was off, Oikawa flying right beside his head. East Clock Town was his first destination, hoping to find someone there since it’s both where Takeru ran first, and the area he knows best. Glancing around the top landing proved fruitless, the only Lil Tyke being the one guarding the underground entrance. He was eyeing Daichi with intrigue, obviously having been filled in about the game taking place.

“Up here,” called Oikawa, heading up the stairs to a fenced in rooftop. Getting a bird’s eye view was a decent idea, and Daichi ran right up to the fence and began scanning the lower part of town. At first he couldn’t see any sign of a kid. There were two men in purple shirts bouncing a ball back and forth to each other using their wrists, two other, younger men wiping down the windows to one of the shops, and a peppy postman checking a bright red mailbox before continuing on his route. He was about to move on to South Clock Town before he caught sight of a spot of blue on the balcony opposite him. It was definitely a Lil Tyke, and he huffed before running for the other stairs.

Earlier he noticed a Deku Flower growing from a large chip in the stone ground. He didn’t know if it could be considered a chip, since it was actually an absence of about seven bricks. Regardless, he thought it would be perfect for catching the kid off guard. “On the balcony,” he quietly relayed to his fairy, and dove into the flower. Popping out, he steered straight for his target. Luckily, the element of surprise was still on his side. The Lil Tyke was crouched behind a bunch of crates and barrels, back mostly towards where Daichi was flying in from. A number 2 was displayed on the back of his shirt, and the name Ogata was printed neatly under it. That was all he could register before landing on the balcony, his boots making a soft bump against the wood. It was loud enough for the boy to hear, and he whipped his head around at the noise. Unfortunately for him, there was nowhere to go, and Daichi saw the resignation on his face as he walked up and tapped his shoulder.

The kid sighed, but was smiling a little. “Not bad, Scrub,” he said, then smiled wider, eyes crinkling from it. His hair was black, and spiked to the sky. Daichi noticed a little pin on his shirt, the head of a brown horse painted on it. Daichi’s heart panged a bit at that.

Before Daichi could speak, the boy turned around, thumbs pointing to his back. “I’m Lil Tyke member number two, Ogata! That seemed pretty fast, didja find anyone before me?”

You’re the first one, kid,” Oikawa smirked, and Ogata pouted, displeased.

“Aw man, that’s kinda annoying,” he said, but then brightened up again. “Well, I don’t know why you’re just standing around up here with me, you gotta find the others before time runs out!”

Flinching a bit at that, Daichi cursed under his breath before turning and hopping off the balcony without a second thought. Free falling like this, he could definitely tell how much lighter this body was. Still, he had ingrained reflexes, and was still able to pull off a landing roll smoothly. He heard Ogata yell “Whoa! Cool!!” as he ran through the archway next to the inn, heading into South Clock Town.

This part of town wasn’t very big, but with all the construction going on, there certainly was a lot of confusion to blend into. There’s gotta be at least one Lil Tyke taking advantage of all the hubbub. He could be wrong, but he hopes he’s not. Running down the ramp, he tried his best to catch sight of a little kid in the crowd of men and tarps.

“Hey,” piped Oikawa. He pointed to the golden Deku Flower he saw earlier. “The higher vantage point helped last time, let’s try it again. Two sets of eyes in the sky is better than one.”

“Yeah,” Daichi agreed, and jogged to the flower.

Before he could even step on it, another Deku rose out of it, making him almost trip from the unexpected surprise. “Hey, kid, this is private Okudake property! You can’t just come in all willy-nilly!” he frowned, crossing his arms. This Deku looked a little more classy than others, with a round body and long, thin limbs. A yellow, black, and white striped hat sat on his head, short tufts of foliage-hair poking out from under it.

Daichi was taken aback, and Oikawa huffed for what felt like the millionth time that day, and it wasn’t even noon yet. “Sorry!” he squeaked, even though he didn’t know flowers _could_ be private property. There was definitely skepticism knocking at his brain, but he had no idea how Deku culture worked. “Sorry,” he said again, folding his hands behind his back and standing up straighter, “but could I just use it once? It’s important.”

“Sorry kid, but no,” the Deku, Okudake, shook his head, more sincere than Daichi expected. “I’m a merchant, you see, and all of my earnings are in there. Even though you’re just a little kid, I can’t risk letting anyone in. The carnival hasn’t even started yet, and I already sold out of my entire stock! There’s a lot of money in here, and I need to keep it safe.” Daichi’s shoulders slumped. Okudake pat him on the head gently. “Sorry, little guy. I’m thinking of closing up shop soon and going back to my village, since there’s nothing left for me to sell, but I’ve been holding off because I’m trying to find a Moon’s Tear,” he paused, giving Daichi a calculating look. “But it’s hard for me to go out searching myself since I want to watch over my earnings. I’ll tell you what, if you find a Moon’s Tear for me, I’ll trade you my spot, but until then, I’m sorry but this flower is off limits.”

“We don’t have time to do that,” Oikawa grumbled, and Daichi sighed.

“Okay. Sorry for bothering you,” Daichi said, running into the bustle of town before Okudake could say anything else.

As they weaved through men and structures, both kept their eyes open. For once Daichi was glad he was so short, since didn’t have to worry about getting whacked with any of the long wooden beams being hauled. Oikawa, on the other hand, could only fly high or low, and already had quite a few scares. “Annoying,” he spat, having come back down to Daichi’s level to report his lack of luck. Before Daichi could voice his agreement, a high-pitched bark sounded out. A small, white tarrier stood a little ways away from them. It was growling lowly in its throat. When Daichi locked eyes with it, the barking began anew, and it skidded into a run towards him. Daichi gasped, taking a couple steps back before turning around completely and darting off. Most of the workers around them were either carrying heavy supplies, or paying no attention, and did nothing to save Daichi from the dog. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem, but at his current size the dog was just about as big as he was, and he was sure it wanted to eat him with how angry the barking sounded.

Trying to confuse the beast, he weaved through everything he could. It seemed to be constantly at his heels, nipping at him while its claws ticked against the colorful brick. After a couple of minutes, he finally caught a break and got out of the dog’s line of sight. Taking his chance, he dove behind a bunch of carpentry supplies sat on and against a half-built table in the corner of town to hide and catch his breath. Instead of hitting the stone floor or a wall like he expected, he bumped into something soft.

“Oof,” came a voice. Daichi turned only to find just the thing they were looking for.

Lucky.

“Oh...” was all he could think to say.

“Oh,” echoed the kid, chuckling a moment after. “Well, I guess you got me! I’m Lil Tyke member number five, Sugano,” he smiled, offering a hand. He had straight black hair that was parted in the middle, and fell just below the tips of his ears. This one seemed less excitable than the others, expression soft and welcoming. Still stunned at the turn of events, Daichi took his hand. Oikawa said something probably smart nearby, but he couldn’t make it out.

“Am I the first one you found?”

“No, you’re the second.”

“Oh! You’re doing pretty good then!” he cheered, and clapped a hand on Daichi’s shoulder. “Now don’t let me keep you, go on and find the rest!” He cocked his head towards the clock to make a point. It was a little after 10:30. Time was definitely flowing, and Daichi peeked around the bunker before sneaking out of their hiding place, on high alert for the dog.

“This way,” Oikawa lead, fluttering towards the stairs to the laundry pool. “Obviously, the laundry pool is where people go to wash their clothes, but it’s so cut off from the rest of town, people tend to forget about it until they need to use it. It’s the perfect spot for some crafty brat to hide.”

Entering the little area, Daichi was surprised at how pretty the laundry pool was. There was a little garden-like area before the water, a lone tree stood proudly while flowers bloomed around its trunk. A large frog was lounging in the flowers, watching butterflies lazily. To the left against the back corner was a plain wooden bench, also bracketed with flowers. A stone bridge ran across the small waterway, sat against the town’s stone wall. Right before it was a small iron bell, and a small path leading to a single door lay beyond it. Daichi thinks it must open to either a supply room for washing materials, or a back entrance to somewhere. The water was clear, flowing through a metal grate to somewhere else. It must come from an outside stream, and the constant flow leaves the town with fresh water to use. Small, but cozy, is how Daichi would describe it, and the place somehow looked more like a park than North Clock Town, which was mostly dirt and weeds.

Someone was currently at the pool, a wooden basket sat beside them with wet clothes, and a pile of dry, to-be washed clothes on their other side. They were currently scrubbing something with a lot of vigor, deep voice murmuring in an irritated manner.

“Excuse me,” Daichi called, approaching the stranger. They stopped their movements, and turned their head. A young man stared back at him. His eyes were a pretty dark blue, but there was a furrow on his brow that took a bit away from it. His hair was jet black, bangs long and almost in his eyes, and back short enough to be off of his neck. Even though he was kneeling, Daichi could tell he was fairly tall. He was also wearing mostly black, his boots discarded and laying a little ways back from the water. The Deku bowed his head before continuing. “Sorry for interrupting you, but you haven’t seen any of the Lil Tykes around here, have you?”

The man’s face never really changed from an impassive, slightly annoyed expression, but his eyes did slightly wander towards the bridge before snapping back to him. “No, I haven’t seen any of them here today.”

Daichi and Oikawa shared a look, and then Oikawa jerked his head towards the man’s laundry pile. There was a weird lump under it that turned out to be the corner of a small shoe, and a splash of Lil Tyke blue peeked out from under that. Slowly, Daichi crept to the edge of the bridge, careful not to bump into the bell. He felt the man’s eyes on him, and heard he had slowed his cleaning as his attention was grabbed by the game transpiring. Unfortunately for this Lil Tyke, he had a bad liar and a sloppy cover-up working against him. Oikawa stayed back, not wanting his glow to give them away. A moment passed in silence, and then Daichi flung himself under the bridge, hanging onto the stone and blindly thrusting his arm out. It hit a body, maybe too hard, as the kid let out a loud, “Ack!”

“Sorry!” he yelled, and it echoed slightly off of the wet stone. The man snorted, and went back to his chore.

“Aw man!” the kid whined, swimming out, “I totally thought you wouldn’t even think of looking under there!”

As he hefted himself out of the water and on to shore, he wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. It was definitely still brisk out, the sun not having been out long enough to chase away the night time chill. Especially in this secluded back corner, where the shadow of the wall must sit for most of the morning.

“Well, we might not have found you _as_ quickly if you hadn’t confided in such an awful liar,” Oikawa chimed, smirking at the man who snapped his head towards the fairy.

“Oikawa,” he frowned.

“Good morning, Tobio!” There was a tension in the air, and Daichi didn’t even want to know the history between these two.

Luckily, the newly discovered Lil Tyke diffused the situation, hopping over to the laundry pile and digging out his clothes. “Better than nothing! Thanks for trying, Kageyama, we almost had ‘em!” He was grinning brightly while slipping into his clothes. Kageyama nodded, said something softly that Daichi couldn’t hear, and went back to washing his slowly shrinking pile of dirty clothes. He grabbed a small white shirt that definitely belonged to a child, with a gray, dusty looking hand print smothered on it, and tsked. Oikawa looked like he wanted to antagonize him more, but the kid, once again, saved the day. “I’m Lil Tyke member number three, Ogasawara! I’ve been hiding under that bridge for a while, so I couldn’t have been the first one you found, right?” he asked, shorts still dripping wet, and shirt dampening from the water that was still on his skin before he threw it on. He had round, brown eyes, dimples in his cheeks, and curly hair that strangely reminded him of Oikawa’s.

“Um, you’re the third one,” answered Daichi, suspicious as to why they all keep asking him how many he’s found, wondering if they were just curious about how the game was progressing or if they had a different reason.

Ogasawara laughed, and turned around to show the big number three on his back. “What a coincidence!” Putting his knuckles on his hips, he turned back around, hair bobbing with the movement. “Well, don’t let me keep ya! Time’s-a-ticking!” Nodding, Daichi took off back towards the entrance. Ogasawara waved them off, then turned back to Kageyama and began chatting animatedly.

“Logically, we’ll find the last one in West Clock Town,” voiced Oikawa, flying along the wall to the nearest archway.

“Last one?”

“Yeah, there’s only six runts in their little club, and since their guard isn’t playing, and Takeru set it up, only four should be playing.”

Daichi sighed lightly, a little relieved. “Good, let’s get this over with.”

West Clock Town was new to Daichi, but he was antsy to find the last Lil Tyke and finally be able to go to the observatory. According to the clock, they had less than fifteen minutes to win this dumb game. He couldn’t wait, hating the anxiety it was giving him.

A lot seemed to be happening on this side of town. Ascending in front of them was a curved dirt path, the right half a smooth ramp, and the left staggered stairs. Shop doors seemed to line the left wall while the right had only a single stall built into an alcove in the wall. A man was sitting in it, and waved when he saw Daichi looking. Daichi waved back, and hurried towards him. Lining the middle of the road were flowerbeds, beautiful flowers of all different colors and varieties blooming in them, while thick hay awnings shaded the path from sun and rain.

“Hiya, kid,” greeted the man, droopy but kind gray eyes welcoming him. His brown hair was tousled, and his smile was made even more unique from a small cleft tugging at his lip. “Here to make a deposit?” he asked playfully, and snickered a little. Above the stall hung a sign reading Sarukui Bank, and if Daichi had time he would question the decision to run such an exposed bank.

“No,” he panted, tired from all of the constant running. “Have you seen any Lil Tykes around here?”

The man, who Daichi assumes to be Sarukui, looked towards the top of the path where it opened up to a bigger area. “There’s usually one wandering around up there. Likes to chat with Eri when he can, and when it’s evening he likes to watch the Shiratori Group’s dancer’s practice.”

Oikawa fluttered forward. “I’m going to check real quick, wait here.” And he zoomed off, disappearing around the corner, only for Daichi to see a tiny turquoise light dart around the upper area before coming right back to his side. “Not there,” he reported, visibly agitated and sweaty. Once again, Daichi swore under his breath. This was so stupid. The biggest, most stressful waste of time he’s ever had to deal with. It was definitely on par with when he had to deliver special eye drops to Biggoron back in Hyrule.

“We must have missed one in another part of town,” he voiced, and if that were true, they had already lost. Maybe he really would have to force his way past a defenseless little kid. The thought did not sit well in his stomach, but if he had to for the greater good…

Suddenly there was a cough, and it came from none of them. Sarukui blinked, smile forced, before coughing a very fake cough. “Oh, excuse me,” cough, “The wind sometimes blows pollen over here. It can give you a pretty scratchy throat.”

Narrowing his eyes, Daichi lunged into the stall to find the last Lil Tyke crouching behind a tall advertisement board, and next to a heavy looking safe. Unlike Kageyama, Sarukui was actually a damn decent liar. He almost had them, and Daichi thanks the stars for that fortunate cough. The kids cheeks were a little pink, a sheepish expression on his face. “Dang,” he said, and crawled out of the stall. As he stood up his knees audibly popped, having been scrunched up for too long without moving. If anything, these kids took their game extremely seriously. This one looked to be taller than the other boys, hair a deep black and tight with curls. His mouth, oddly enough, curved similarly to the banker’s. “Thank you for letting me hide back there, Mr. Sarukui!”

Chuckling to himself, Sarukui only waved him off.

“I’m Hoshi! Member number four of the Lil Tykes!” he introduced. “I’m pretty sure time’s almost up, how many do you have left?”

“None!” Daichi exclaimed, tempted to drop to the ground right then and there. He did it. “You’re the fourth one, and now I can get the password, right?”

Hoshi’s lips turned up even more, and he looked away. “Well… not quite...”

“What?!” both Daichi and Oikawa exclaimed, frantically.

Hoshi scratched his cheek. “Well, you haven’t caught all of us yet.”

An extremely undignified noise bubbled up in Daichi’s throat, and Oikawa’s glow almost looked like it was turning purple. “But there are only six of you! You four, the little guard, and...” Suddenly, he froze, some kind of gears clicking in his head. “Takeru...” he whisper-growled. Taking a piece of Daichi’s hair, he yanked towards the top of the hill. “Come on, we need to get to North Clock Town.”

Daichi ran with Oikawa on his head, who was too frustrated to fly straight. He took a right out of West Clock Town, and went up the ramps by the clock tower to North Clock Town. There really wasn’t anywhere to hide in such an open space. Takeru knew this, and was standing tall in the center of the road. Just as he saw them, he darted off towards East Clock Town. Daichi ran after him, narrowly avoiding a couple of people as he passed through the archway. Their speed was pretty equal, but Daichi lost some ground having to hop down the steps. His legs ached. Takeru turned sharply into South Clock Town, and ran back upwards to North Clock Town once more. The clock tower chimed: 11am.

“Okay,” growled Oikawa, “I’m done being nice.” Flapping his wings as fast as he could, he took off and grabbed onto Takeru’s collar. Though he was only a fairy, his momentum was at its peak right then, and he was able to jerk him suddenly enough to make him trip. Daichi let out a burst of speed, seeing Takeru stumble to the ground. He didn’t even feel bad when he caught up and tagged the slowly standing Lil Tyke on the back.

He was panting. Takeru was panting. Oikawa was panting. Everyone was tired, and none of them were happy, but Daichi thinks he did it. For real this time.

Takeru put is weight on one leg. “You know, I should disqualify you for cheating.”

Oikawa was in his face in an instant, hands on his hips. “You do that, Take, sweetheart, and I will personally make your life a living hell.”

“You already do,” the boy mumbled under his breath, scoffing.

“Rude!” Oikawa yelled, but hovered even closer. “But also, I know where you keep all those poetically romantic love let-” Takeru lunged forward before he could finish, cupping the fairy in his hands.

“Okay okay! Fine! He caught me in time, I’ll give him the password!” he shouted, voice breaking a little as his cheeks heated up. He opened his palms, and a ruffled, but smug Oikawa made his way back to perch on Daichi’s head.

Dusting himself off, Takeru rubbed at his cheeks, trying to make the flush go away. It didn’t work. “So,” Daichi said, a little awkward, but determined to get to the observatory like the Great Fairy said, “can I have the password now?”

Moving to lean on the mailbox on the side of the road, Takeru sighed. “You guys really do have a one-track mind. I might feel bad about enforcing the rules so hard if Tooru wasn’t such an annoying fairy.”

Oikawa stuck his tongue out.

Then Takeru looked past them, and nodded. Daichi turned to see the other four members walking over, all with their own smiles on their faces. They stood beside their leader, and together like this Daichi could tell they really were all passionate about this club of theirs.

“Good job!” cheered Ogasawara.

“I knew you could do it,” said Sugano, while Ogata and Hoshi gave him simultaneous thumbs up.

“Alright, alright! Settle down, men!” clapped Takeru, and the others fell into line. “You know, I didn’t really think you’d be able to do it, Deku Scrub, but you proved me wrong.” He then mumbled out of the side of his mouth, “Even if you did have help, I guess teamwork should be encouraged...” Clearing his throat, he gazed down at Daichi. “What was your name again?”

“Daichi.”

“Well, Daichi, I’ll give you the code like I promised. It’s just too bad I can’t make you an official member.”

“What? Why?!” Oikawa questioned. Daichi didn’t understand why that riled the fairy up so bad. Wasn’t he making fun of the Lil Tykes this whole time? Daichi didn’t care in the least about joining anyway.

“Last time we let a non-human in, things didn’t turn out well. We’re all still trying to.. get over it.”

“Isn’t your little club all about justice and good deeds? Because that sounds pretty fffffff _reaking_ prejudice to me.” They all flinched and fidgeted under his gaze. Daichi was a little nervous too, even though Oikawa’s animosity wasn’t directed towards him. It’s evidently not a good idea to actually make Oikawa angry, and Daichi filed “childish ignorance” away as a way to make him very, very angry. It was odd, though, because apparently Oikawa knew right away why they wouldn’t let Daichi in the club. Daichi doesn’t think he would have ever even thought of the possibility that they just didn’t want a Deku to join. He never had to worry about that kind of thing before, and it was definitely something to think about, he supposes.

But later, because for now he was still distracted by an outraged fairy. “So what if you got mixed up with a bratty non-human? There are plenty of bratty humans too! I’m looking at five of them right now!” he waved his hand before all of the kids, none of them making eye contact. Daichi wonders, distantly, if some kind of rejection happened to Oikawa in the past, or if he was just this righteous at base value. “Excluding all non-humans just because of one bad egg is awful, immoral, and just plain shitty. I really thought you kids were better than that.”

All of the Lil Tykes had their heads hung, and said nothing. Daichi felt awkward, and didn’t like seeing them so sad when all they gave him were smiles up until now. “It’s fine,” he started, voice gentle, but Oikawa cut him off.

“ _No_ , it’s not. Takeru, do you really think this kind of thinking is okay?”

Takeru flinched at his name, and at this point Daichi just wanted to give them all a hug. But Oikawa cares deeply about these kids, he knows it even though he’s barely known Oikawa for a few hours. This wasn’t his conversation to interrupt.

“No,” piped up Sugano, answering before Takeru could. “I don’t think it is.”

Hoshi sighed. “Me neither.” Ogata nodded, biting his lip.

Ogasawara turned to Takeru. “Come on, you don’t think it’s okay either. That kid really hurt us, but… but they didn’t care about helping people! They came into the society just to be mean and try and tear us apart, but we were stronger than that, and we’re all still here! Daichi isn’t like that kid, I think we can all tell that he’s way different! Like, he actually played the game and followed the rules, and the kid would have just thrown a fit and pushed his way into the hideout anyway, so… I think we should let him join.”

The others agreed, and Takeru tried to discreetly wipe tears from his eyes. From how they were talking, Daichi was pretty sure he knew who this other kid was, and took a deep breath. Giving kids so young these kinds of thoughts and issues was beyond scummy, and the resolve to get that mask only grew hotter. Maybe Oikawa knew, too, a little bit. His anger probably had a lot to do with the Skull Kid trying to corrupt such young children. Children he was close to, and that set him off into a tangent. It may have not been the best way to handle the situation, but it’s not like they could have a redo.

“Fine,” Takeru mumbled, still glaring at the ground for a minute, before shaking himself out of it. “Fine! Daichi, we’ll let you be a Lil Tyke, but I’ll be keeping an eye on you!” He pointed at Daichi in what he must have thought was a cool, grown up way. Daichi really didn’t care about being a Lil Tyke, but understood the lesson here went deeper than a silly membership, so he just bowed his head at the dramatic pose. Takeru was a little taken aback at the subdued gesture after all the yelling, but relaxed his stance. “Okay, well, we’ll need to make you your own notebook, but until then you can go on into the hideout. Ready, men?!”

“Yes!” they called in unison, bodies less tense than when they were being scolded, and turned around. Oikawa went back to perching on his head, quiet after his outburst.

From left to right the Tykes stood in a line: Ogata, Hoshi, Sugano, Ogasawara, and finally Takeru. “The password is 24531! Don’t forget it, Scrub!” called Takeru, grinning mischievously over his shoulder.

“How ridiculous,” Oikawa sighed, voice returned to normal, if not sounding worn out. Daichi was just grateful this detour was over.

“Thank you,” he bowed, really meaning his words even though the whole process was kind of a headache.

The kids looked a little at a loss at what to do at the gesture, and Takeru turned around and leaned on one leg. “I’ll find you when your notebook is done, but in the meantime,” he shot a look at the rest of the kids, and they all nodded.

“Welcome to the Lil Tykes’ Secret Society of Justice! Do your best to help anyone in need!” they shouted together, and Daichi wondered how it could be such a secret if everyone knew about them.

Regardless, Daichi thanked them again, and went on his way back to East Clock Town. They all waved after him, grins all set to different intensities, which really struck him with how young they were. Children like that, making their own little club where the very premise is to help other people, needed to be protected and encouraged at every turn.

“Ah, youth,” Oikawa murmured, shifting on Daichi’s head. “If only they knew we were already on a mission to help those in need. Which is everyone, because that mask wants nothing but destruction and slaughter.” Looks like Oikawa was more or less on the same page as him. “I wonder how quickly they would have given up their little password code if they knew.”

“They don’t need to know,” Daichi said, voice firm. “They just need to live.”

Oikawa was silent, but he felt knuckles clutching at his scalp. Agreement.

Once again, the duo walked up to the Lil Tyke guard. His gaze was knowing, but still asked the same question as before. “Password?”

“24531”

Smiling, the boy moved to the side. “Welcome to the Lil Tykes’ hideout. There’s a lot of cool stuff in the telescope guy’s place, just don’t make a mess, or he’ll get mad.” Daichi nodded, and the kid nonchalantly saluted. “Lil Tyke’s Secret Society of Justice forever!”

Daichi saluted back, and felt Oikawa shift a little too, before walking past into the dark, descending alley.

They were in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard :(
> 
> I hope you like the roles I gave these characters! Next chapter we'll meet more townsfolk, and really explore around town. :) Can you guess who's filling what role? Maybe tell me who you think future roles are going to be given to, which I won't spoil, but it would be interesting to see everyone else's choices! 
> 
> Thank you for reading!! <3<3
> 
> skadiyoko.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go!!
> 
> Updates will be sporadic, but you can come yell at me on tumblr if you want to keep me encouraged! (*｀∪´*)ゞ


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